Conservation takes many forms and MDF Magazine is critical to sharing the work that we do.

 

 

MDF Magazine is a quarterly publication, and exclusive to Mule Deer Foundation members. Packed full of high quality stories and striking photography of the work that we are doing on the ground, in a perfect bound, glossy top-scale paper perfect for reading in the wall tent, or the waiting room. We are excited to celebrate the content between the covers, with an aesthetically pleasing and easily readable layout.

 

MDF Magazine continues to deliver stories from the hunt, as well as in the field highlighting conservation challenges and projects. Cuisine, state-by-state updates on the work happening across the range, mule deer and black-tailed deer biology and more!


 

 

The magazine features some of the best hunting stories, tips, and tactics from our friends Jana Waller of Skullbound Chronicles, Mark Kayser, Jason Matzinger, Identical Draw and more!

Celebration of the success of our members, is a fan favorites section, and is featured in each and every issue! This is our favorite section to put together, as we get to share in your stories.


With an increased page count and reduction in ads, MDF Members can enjoy a magazine that delivers the MDF mission, facilitates our mission, and showcases those supporters committed to what we do.

 

There’s a special kind of pride in tagging a mule deer on your own. No guide, no outfitter, just a hunter and the grit to get it done. Across the West, do-it-yourself (DIY) mule deer hunting has become a defining experience for many who want to earn their success the hard way. Public land offers the opportunity; preparation and perseverance provide the result.
Public Land, Private Grit: Harvesting a Mule Deer Without a Guide

There’s a special kind of pride in tagging a mule deer on your own. No guide, no outfitter, just a hunter and the grit to get it done. Across the West, do-it-yourself (DIY) mule deer hunting has become a defining experience for many who want to earn their success the hard way. Public land offers the opportunity; preparation and perseverance provide the result.

Keeping your rifle clean not only protects your investment and extends its life, but most importantly, gives you confidence that it will perform when you’ve finally got your crosshairs settled.
Rifle Cleaning Matters in Mule Deer Country

Keeping your rifle clean not only protects your investment and extends its life, but most importantly, gives you confidence that it will perform when you’ve finally got your crosshairs settled.

For generations, mule deer hunting has been about far more than filling a tag. The stories, the landscapes, the family bonds forged around a fire or on a frosty ridgeline are what keep our traditions alive. At the Mule Deer Foundation, many of our staff first learned the meaning of stewardship and respect for the animal in family hunting camps, and today they’re raising the next generation to carry it on.
Family Hunting Camps: Carrying on the Tradition

For generations, mule deer hunting has been about far more than filling a tag. The stories, the landscapes, the family bonds forged around a fire or on a frosty ridgeline are what keep our traditions alive. At the Mule Deer Foundation, many of our staff first learned the meaning of stewardship and respect for the animal in family hunting camps, and today they’re raising the next generation to carry it on.

Whether you are hunting early or late season burn areas are a great place to notch your tag this season. Wildfire is one of the West’s most powerful forces. Fires are destructive, unpredictable, and often misunderstood. To the untrained eye, a burn scar looks like devastation. But to a mule deer, it can look like opportunity. In the years after a wildfire, the landscape transforms into a mosaic of nutrient-rich regrowth, young shrubs, and open feeding grounds, all prime habitat for mule deer recovery and herd growth.
Don’t Overlook Burn Areas this Hunting Season!

Whether you are hunting early or late season burn areas are a great place to notch your tag this season. Wildfire is one of the West’s most powerful forces. Fires are destructive, unpredictable, and often misunderstood. To the untrained eye, a burn scar looks like devastation. But to a mule deer, it can look like opportunity. In the years after a wildfire, the landscape transforms into a mosaic of nutrient-rich regrowth, young shrubs, and open feeding grounds, all prime habitat for mule deer recovery and herd growth.

The first time I saw him, it was almost cruel. He stood on the far side of a canyon, antlers catching the last light of the evening. A mule deer buck so wide, so heavy, he seemed unreal. The only problem: he was in a different unit than the one I had a tag for. All I could do was glass across the line and dream.
Ten Years for One Buck

The first time I saw him, it was almost cruel. He stood on the far side of a canyon, antlers catching the last light of the evening. A mule deer buck so wide, so heavy, he seemed unreal. The only problem: he was in a different unit than the one I had a tag for. All I could do was glass across the line and dream.

Even though the rut offers a window of opportunity, success still depends on preparation. Start by identifying traditional migration corridors and winter range. In Colorado’s high country or Wyoming’s Red Desert, focus on terrain funnels: saddles, benches, and draws that connect summer and winter habitats. In Utah and Montana, glass south-facing slopes and lower ridges where deer often pause on their way down.
Get Rutting Ready: How to Make the Most of Mule Deer in November

Even though the rut offers a window of opportunity, success still depends on preparation. Start by identifying traditional migration corridors and winter range. In Colorado’s high country or Wyoming’s Red Desert, focus on terrain funnels: saddles, benches, and draws that connect summer and winter habitats. In Utah and Montana, glass south-facing slopes and lower ridges where deer often pause on their way down.

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These are just a few stories from previous issues, but you must be a member to receive the full contents of this powerful publication!

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